Refrigerator-box



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2. G. P. SIGKLBS. RBFRIGBRATOR. BOX.

No. 492,503. 1 Patented Pe'b'. 28, 189s.

Nrrnn STATES GARRET F. SICKLES, OF COXSACKIE, NEW' YORK.

REFRIGERATOR-BOX.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 492,503, dated February 28, 1893.

Application led October 22, 1892. Serial No. 4491670 (N0 model-l To @ZZ whoml t may concern:

.13e it known that I, Gnnnnr F. SICKLES, a citlzen of the United States, residing at Coxsackle, in the county of Greene and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Refrigerator-Box, of which the following is a specification.

M y invention relates to improvements in refr1gerator boxes of that class employed for transporting long distances small perishable fruits such as berries, tbc.

Heretofore in this class of inventions, it has been common to provide a refrigerator box, the same having in its upper side a refrigerating pan that occupied the entire mouth of the box, said pan to be filled with ice, and requlrlng to be lifted bodily from the box whenever 1t became necessary to dispense fruits from the refrigerator. Such an arrangement has been open to many objections, principally among which were the eumbersomeness of the pan, the labor involved in removing the same and replacing it, and the fact that the ice would become shifted, after being partially melted, from end to end of the pan. By myinvention I propose to overcome these disadvantages, and to provide means whereby but a portion of the refrigerator box may be exposed for the removal of the fruit, and this Without excessive labor and with convenience.

With these objects in view, the invention consists in certain features of construction hereinafter specified, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the drawingsz-Figure l is a perspective View of a refrigerator box embodying my invention, the lid or cover being removed to expose the interior thereof. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of the refrigerator box, one of the refrigerator pans being shown by dotted lines as removed to give access to the interior of the box. Fig. 3 is a transverse section. Fig. 4 is a detail of one of the pans.

Like numerals of reference indicate like parts in all the figures of the drawings.

The box-body may be constructed in any suitable manner, but in this instance, consists of the opposite sides 1, the ends 2, bottom 3, and lid or cover 4t, the latter being set into a Igalbet or groove in the upper edge of the boxo y. t The only means of access to the box is through the top and is secured by a removal of the cover or lid which may be provided with suitable rings or handles for affording a hand-hold.

The bottom is provided with cleats 6, whereby said bottom is elevated a slight distance above the iioor or other support, and is furthermore provided near each end with perforations 7, through which passes the lower end of a drip-tube 8, that terminates at its upper end near the upper end of the box in a iiared receiving mouth 9.

The opposite sides and ends of the boxbody are provided with pairs of oppositely arranged vertical cleats 10, and those at the sides are provided with bifurcations or recesses 11. Rest-bars 12 are horizontally-disposed and have their ends seated removably or otherwise in the aforesaid recesses. These restbars form a horizontal and stable support for the ice-pans, hereinafter to be described, and below them is the refrigerator chamber, in which the small boxes of berries are packed.

The mouth ofl the box affords accom modation for a pair of refrigerating pans 14, the same being formed of suitably light sheet metal and rectangular in plan. These pans are removable, and are maintained out of contact with the inner surfaces of the side and end Walls by reason of the aforesaid cleats between which they are interposed, their bottoms resting on the rest-bars. These pans are independent and are provided with rings or other suitable hand-holds, whereby each may be elevated from its position within the box independent of the other.

The bottoms of the pans are provided with openings 15, the metal removed from the openings being struck up to form flanges or guards 16 surrounding the same, and each opening is surmounted by a transverse-hood 17, whose lower edges are provided with perforations 18.

In operation the refrigerator boxes are filled with berries in the usual manner, after which the ice-pans are placed in position and filled with ice of suitable size. It will be seen that by reason of the fact that the ice pans are independent of each other each may be conveniently handled and placed in its proper position independentlof the other. By such an arrangement the pans may be constructed of lighter material than where but one single IOO the pans are provided, and which communicate with the drip-tubes before mentioned. At the same time the drip-tubes having their lower ends elevated from the floor for support of the box, permit of the entiance of air, which keeps the berries in a dry state and does not permit them to become soggy as is the case Where the apparatus is air-tight. The cold air from the pans will pass through the bottom openings therein to the berries While the warm air will rise around the sides of the pans, be again brought into contact with the refrigerant yand cooled, to be subsequently discharged upon the berries.

When the refrigerator has reached its destination and it is desired to dispense a portion of its contents, instead of having to remove the cover and then the entire long icepan and set the latter upon the door, in lny construction it is sim ply necessary to remove one of the ice-pans, which may be conveniently accomplished, and the same be placed upon `the remaining ice-pan, thus requiring but small floor space, which is very iinpoitant and at the same time exposing but a portion of the contents of the box, after which the said removed ice-pan may be readily replaced. If after the removal of one ice-pan and its placement on the remaining pan, it is desired to gain access to the opposite half of the box, the two ice-pans may be slid to the opposite end of the box7 thus requiring no lifting Whatever. At the same time that I gain lthese advantages I also gain a further advantage in that by employing two separate ice-pans, the adjacent end-walls thereof act as partitions, and prevent the sloshing of the ice from one end of the ice-chamber to the other.l

Having described my invention, what I claim isl. The combination with a refrigerator-box having rests, of a pair of removable ice-pans mounted thereon and adapted to slide, and of a combined size adapting them to completely occupy the upper portion of the box, substantially as specified.

2. The combination with a refrigerator-box and a series of vertical cleats secured to the inner side thereof, of a series of transverse rest-bars mounted on the cleats, and a pair of independent ice-pans seated on the rest-bars and provided with cold-air openings in their bottoms, substantially as specified.

3. The combination with a refrigerator-box having solid end and side walls, and a perforated bottom, of drip-tubes secured to one of the side walls and extending through the bottom, cleats on the under side of the Abottoni for elevating the saine, rests secured Within the box, and independent ice-pans mounted on the rests and having drip-openings communicating with the upper ends of the tubes, substantially as specified.

4. The combination with a refrigerator-box, of a series of vertical cleats secured to the inner side thereof, and arranged in pairs, said cleats having their upper ends bifurcated, rest-bars removably mounted in the bifurcations and ice-pans seated removably on the rest-bars, substantially as specified.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto aiixed my signature in the presence of two Witnesses.

GARRET F. SICKLES.

Witnesses:

A. C. DWIGHT, H. SALISBURY, Jr. 

